Liner opening trim



July 30, 1935. w. D. CO LLINS LINER ormune TRIM Filed April 29, 1933 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 3%, 1935 eat Delaware Application April 29, 1933, Serial No. 668,494

6 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerators of the household type wherein a refrigerating system having a cooling unit is assembled with an insulated cabinet, the cooling unit projecting through one wall and being located in the cabinet for cooling the contents of the compartment in which it is disposed.

The closure for the opening in the wall of the cabinet through which the cooling unit is inserted presents a manifold problem including that of heat insulation and the entrance into the joint of moisture with its accompanying disadvantages. In a mechanically cooled cabinet of this charac ter, moisture, condensed from air in the cabinet, trickles down the closure for the opening through which the cooling unit is inserted and enters the joint along the lower portion of such opening, for instance, by capillary attraction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a moisture excluding trim or frame for the opening in the inside wall or liner of a refrigerator cabinet through which the cooling unit of a refrigerating apparatus is inserted.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the upper portion of a refrigerator cabinet showing a liner opening trim embodying the invention in front elevation;

Fig. 2, a vertical section taken at right angles to that of Fig. l, the liner opening trim being shown in side elevation;

Fig. 3, a bottom plan view of the liner opening trim;

Fig. 4, a section through the trim on the line 3- 3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5, a section through the trim on the line 5-5 of Fig. l. A

Referring to the drawing, a refrigerator cabinet is formed of inner and outer metal shells ill and H respectively, between which insulation i2 is confined, such cabinet being provided with-a top 63. The cabinet is also provided with a door M, and a flue it at its rear. The back wall of the cabinet is provided with an opening ll of substantially'rectangular outline, of a size suincient to permit a cooling element of a refrigerating apparatus unit (not shown) to be inserted into the cabinet for cooling the same. The opening is adapted to be closed by means of an insulated wall section through which connections extend to the cooling element, and on which the latter is mounted. I

The temperature of the cooling element within the refrigerator is kept sufiiciently low to both freeze water into ice and cool the air sufliciently for preservation of comestibles and the like. This temperature causes moisture from the air to be condensed, for instance, upon a wall section for closing the opening ll and upon which the cooling element is mounted, and this water trickles downwardly into the joint at the lower edge it of the rectangular opening ll, thus impairing the insulation qualities of the wall and causing deterioration.

In order to properly seal the joint around the edges of opening ill, a trim member is provided which is adapted to fit against the vertical faces of the wall and overlie the edges or the opening ll. This trim member is preferably an aluminum casting having an outer flange it and an inner flange it which are substantially coextensive and perpendicular to a flange 28 which is adapted to project into the opening ll for securing the trim in place by fastening elements (not shown) inserted through holes 22 in the beveled inner edge of the flange 20 into the edge 56 of the wall around the opening ll. The flange it overlies the margin of the opening and is provided with a recess 25 for the reception of a sealing gasket (not shown). The joint between the trim and the removable wall section is sealed by means of a gasket adapted to be compressed in the recess 2i.

In actual experience, a trim having a section all the way around like that shown in Fig-5, for example, has been used. With such constriictions however, moisture reaching the trim at the bottom would pass directly from the flange it onto the flange l8 and seep into the joint. In accordance with the present invention to prevent moisture from entering this joint, the trim is provided across its bottom with a moisture deflecting skirt or drain ledge 23, from which any moisture will be caused to drip downwardly without following the outline of the flange it into the joint.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore the invention is not limited to that which is described in the specification and shown in the drawing, but only as indicated in the following claims.

What is claimed is: I

1. In combination, a cabinet having a wall provided with an opening therein, a closure for said opening, a trim for the joint between the wall and the closure, said trim comprising a substantially fiat band of a width to overlie both the wall and the closure, a transverse flange extending substantially centrally from said band for location in the joint between the wall and the closure for securing the trim in position, said band having a recess on its inner face contiguous to the closure member for receiving a gasket for sealing the joint between the trim and the closure member, and a moisture deflecting ledge carried by said band at its bottom projecting away from the sealing element and arranged to divert water from the joint between the wall and the closure.

2. In combination, a refrigerator wall, an opening in said wall, a closure for said opening, and a trim for sealing the joint between the opening and the closure comprising an annular frame of a shape to cover said joint and having portions overlying both the refrigerator wall and the closure therefor, means for fastening said trim in place, said trim having a deflecting ledge at its bottom projecting away from the sealing element and designed to discharge water, in spaced relation to the refrigerator wall.

3. A wall having an opening therein, a closure for said opening, a finishing trim for the joint between the wall and the closure, said trim comprising a band of a width to overlie the joint, transverse means extending from said band for location in the joint between the wall and the closure for securing the trim in position, said band having a recess in its face contiguous to the closure member for receiving a gasket for sealing the joint between the trim and the closure member, and a moisture deflecting portion carried by said band at its bottom projecting away from the sealing element and arranged to divert water from the joint between the wall and the closure.

4. A refrigerator cabinet having an opening in one wall adapted to receive a closure, a trim for aooamo the joint between the wall and the closure, said trim comprising a band of a width to overl e both the wall and the closure, said band having a substantially flat top and side portions and provided across its bottom with a moisture deflecting ledge projecting away from said wall designed to divert condensed moisture from the band.

5. A refrigerator cabinet having relatively thick walls of insulation, one of said walls having an opening therethrough adapted to receive a closure in the form of an insulating block of a thickness corresponding to the wall of the cabinet, a finishing trim for closing the joint around the opening, said trim comprising a body corresponding in shape to the opening and constructed to overlie the wall about the opening and the closure for the opening, said body being provided with a moisture deflecting ledge across its bottom projecting away from the closure receiving wall and having its remaining portion of a relatively thin construction to fit substantially fiat against the cabinet wall.

6. In a refrigerator cabinet having insulated walls defining a thermally insulated storage compartment provided with a liner, said compartment having a closure receiving opening in an upright wall for insertion of refrigeration mechanism into the cabinet from the exterior, sealing means for the joint around the closure comprising a member overlying the inner faces of both the liner and the closure adjacent the joint, and having a ledge along the lower part thereof projecting away from said sealing element to cause moisture descending the inner face of the closure to be discharged in spaced relation to the liner and thereby prevent seepage of moisture into the joint.

WILLIAM D. COLLINS. 

